Please note that notifications are not provided for promotions or demotions between custody levels, except for promotions to Minimum Custody.

Custody classification is a determination of how much security will be needed to ensure inmates remain safely confined and/or managed. The custody classification level depends on the seriousness of the crime, willingness of the inmate to obey rules and regulations, and perceived potential for attempting escape.  Custody classifications are solely under the authority of Prisons and cannot be changed except by Prisons.

There are three custody levels offenders can be assigned to and each prison or unit within a prison is operated based on these levels.

Close Custody (most restrictive):

• Close Custody is for offenders who need extra security and are under armed, constant supervision. Close custody housing is generally made up of single cells and divided into cellblocks. Case management, work assignments, basic education, counseling and other programs are available to offendersin close custody.

Medium Custody (less restrictions):

• Medium Custody is less restrictive than close custody and offenders are under armed, constant supervision. Medium custody prisons have all programs and activities operating within the unit. Programs include academic and vocational education, substance abuse treatment, psychological and self-improvement programs, varied work assignments, as well as case management services. When working outside the prison, offenders are supervised by armed personnel.

Minimum Custody (least restrictive):

• Minimum Custody is the least restrictive and has the most privileges of the custody grades. Offenders who have been promoted to minimum custody must be within five years of their release date. Offenders convicted of felony crimes, under certain conditions, can be considered for promotion to minimum custody once they are within 60 months of release or within 60 months of their parole eligibility date.

There are three levels within Minimum custody that an offender may promote:

• Level I: Offenders may work on the grounds or away from the prison as long as a correctional officer or agent of DPS is with them.
• Level II: Offenders may work on the grounds or away from the prison with an assigned supervisor from another government agency and may be eligible to go out on a short-term pass with an approved volunteer in the community.
• Level III: Offenders may be away from the prison for specific programs such as work release, jobs, home leaves, school or other kinds of training not supervised by correctional staff during the approved pass.

If the offender escapes:

If an offender escapes from a state prison and you are registered with VSSPPP, the prison unit will make attempts to contact you within two hours of the escape.  In addition, you will receive a letter notifying you about the escape. VSSPPP also recommends that you are registered with the NCSAVAN service to receive notifications about escapes by automated telephone, text, email or TTY message.

If the offender absconds:

Absconded means that, while an offender is being supervised in the community (probation, parole, post-release supervision), the offender has not reported to his/her probation-parole officer (PPO) and/or the PPO is unable to locate the offender and is willfully avoiding supervision.  When the PPO has determined that the offender has absconded and enters this information into the computer system, VSSPPP will send you a letter and, if you are registered with NCSAVAN, you will also receive an automated telephone, text, email, or TTY message.

You must keep your contact information up to date with VSPPP to receive notifications.

• After sentencing, the offender will initially be housed in the local jail of the county in which the offender was convicted.
• DAC will schedule a time to pick up and transport the offender from the jail to an appropriate prison.  For the security of the offender and the public, information about the day an offender will be transferred to a DAC prison and the name of the prison are not disclosed until after the offender has arrived at the prison.
• The offender is first sent to one of several prisons that has a diagnostic center for intake and processing.
• Diagnostic centers evaluate the offender’s physical and mental health, temperament, education and family, work and criminal histories. It can take up to six weeks before processing is completed and the offender is classified and sent to another prison.
• The offender will be confined in a prison according to bed space, custody level, the offender’s program needs and other factors. An offender may request to be transferred to a prison close to their home; however, this is not a guarantee that the transfer will be granted.
• An offender can be transferred between state prisons many times while serving their sentence. DAC does not notify victims about each transfer.
• You may click here to check on the offender’s location in an NCDAC facility (prison).

While the offender is in prison, will he/she be allowed outside of the prison

DAC offenders may be allowed outside of the prison for a number of reasons:

• For medical care that cannot be provided by DAC;
• For a funeral or to visit a critically ill family member;
• For certain jobs and programs;
• For a permanent and total disability or terminal illness;
• To be held by a county jail for confinement while awaiting a court hearing;
  
  For more information about transfers of state offenders, see the Transfers of an offender section.

What do I do if I am afraid because the offender is confined in a state prison near me

You may click here to check on the offender’s location either in a NC state prison or the NC county of community supervision

As explained in the Transfers of an offender section, offenders are transferred between state prisons for a number of reasons.  If you have safety concerns because you believe that the offender is in a prison very close to you, you may submit a request that the offender be moved to another state prison facility in NC. However, this does not guarantee that the offender will be moved. 

• NC General Statutes states: 148-5.1. Confining inmates away from victims.  If a victim or immediate family member of a victim requests that, for the safety of the victim or family member, an inmate be confined outside the county where the victim or family member resides or is employed, the Department shall make a reasonable effort to house the inmate in a facility in another county. If the inmate is not so housed in another county, the Department shall notify the victim or family member in writing. (2001-433, s. 10; 2001-487, s. 120.)
• A victim or their immediate family member may make a request to have the offender transferred by completing the Opposition to Inmate Location form (below):

   Opposition to Inmate Location form 

• If NCDAC cannot transfer the offender, VSS will notify you of this. In the event that the offender can be transferred out of that county at a later time, VSSPPP will notify you again. This is the only time a victim will be notified of an offender’s transfer. Notifications are not made for general transfers of state prison offenders.

What do I do if I am afraid because the offender is living in the community near me

Offenders who are supervised in the community on probation, parole or post-release supervision are not subject to NC General Statute 148-5.1 as state prison offenders are.

• An offender’s home plan is investigated by the offender’s probation/parole officer (PPO).
• If the PPO believes that the home plan is not appropriate, the PPO may deny the home plan.
• You may contact VSS if you have concerns about where an offender is planning to live and request that VSSPPP staff share your concerns with the PPO. This will be considered by the PPO and, where possible, an alternative home plan may be established.
• Please note that the PPO must balance the housing needs of the offender with victim and community safety as well as with the possibility of the offender being homeless. If the offender is or becomes homeless, then supervising the offender is much more difficult and options for supervision conditions such as electronic house arrest may not be possible.

Offender Locator 

Offender Locator Out of State

Federal Offender Locator

For offenders in NCDAC prison facilities:

• Notifications are not provided for general transfers.
• If an offender requests to be transferred to another state’s prisons, see the Interstate movement of offenders.
• If an offender requests to be transferred to another country’s prisons, the International Prisoner Transfer system requires a victim’s input be requested before making a decision to transfer the inmate to another country.
• If an offender is transferred due to a permanent and total disability or due to a terminal illness, NC General Statutes requires a victim’s input be requested before making a decision to transfer the inmate to a nursing home, hospice or other palliative care location.  For more information regarding these extensions of the limits of confinement, please see NC General Statute 148-4. Control and custody of prisoners; authorizing prisoner to leave place of confinement.

For offenders who are on probation, parole or post-release supervision, notifications are provided about transfers of an offender’s county of supervision or if the offender requests to be transferred out of state.

• Offenders may request to have their community supervision transferred to another county within NC.
• Offenders may also request to have their community supervision transferred to another state.  See the Interstate movement of offenders.

A custody review is not the same thing as a parole review.  Often times victims who use the DAC Offender Search tool will see the date for the next custody review and assume that this is the date an offender is going to be reviewed for parole. This is not the case.

Custody reviews are conducted routinely every six months by Prisons staff for all offenders to address security and behavior of the offenders in state prisons. Offenders remain housed in a state prison.

• Prison Administration is charged with managing offenders. One way in which Prisons does this is through the assignment of offenders to custody levels.
• Custody classification is a determination of how much security will be needed to ensure offenders remain safely confined and/or managed. The custody classification level depends on the seriousness of the crime, willingness of the offender to obey rules and regulations, and perceived potential for attempting escape.  See the Prison custody classifications (close, medium, minimum) section.
• While information from victims is helpful information for Prisons staff, victims cannot prevent the routine review of an offender’s custody level nor the promotion or demotion in custody level.  In addition, custody levels are not an indicator of a release date.  Release dates are determined by sentencing laws.  Custody reviews occur regularly and separately from parole reviews.  And, Parole is only applicable if the offender committed their crime before 10/1/1994; otherwise, an offender's minimum release date is pre-determined and cannot be changed except by the courts.

Notifications about custody reviews are not provided.

Parole reviews, unlike custody reviews, are conducted by the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission (PRSPC) for consideration of a conditional release from prison to live in the community and be supervised by a probation/parole officer before an offender’s sentence is complete.

• Not all offenders are eligible to be paroled.
• Most offenders are not eligible to be paroled if the they committed the crime after 10/1/1994.
• To find out if an offender is eligible for parole, please contact VSSPPP staff at 1-866-719-0108.
• Parole reviews are conducted annually or every two or three years depending on the crime.
• Parole is earned and is not automatic.
• Parole provides an opportunity for the offender to live in the community supervised by a probation/parole officer and if the offender cannot abide by the conditions set by the PRSPC, parole laws permit the PRSPC to return the offender to prison to continue serving their sentence (revoke parole).
• A victim’s input is an important part of the information that the PRSPC considers when deciding to parole an offender.  Written input may be provided by victims at any time by writing to:

                                           NCDAC Victim Support Services
                                           4223 Mail Service Center
                                           Raleigh, NC 27699-4200

• A victim can call 919-716-3010 four months prior to the parole review date to schedule a parole meeting.
• Up to five people can attend the parole meeting, which last 30 minutes, and you will need to bring a picture ID with you.
• The parole meeting is with one Commissioner and the offender will not be present.

Notifications about parole reviews are provided only if you are registered with VSSPPP to receive notifications.  NCSAVAN does not provide notifications about parole reviews.

There are a variety of factors which may be a part of a victim’s decision to meet or visit with the offender who committed the crime against them such as the type of crime, the relationship between the victim and the offender before the crime and the impact the crime has had on the victim.  A victim is in not in any way obligated to visit or meet with an offender and the visit will be considered by Prisons only if it is at the request of the victim.  An offender must agree to the visit, but the victim should not feel obligated nor be pressured to see the offender.  All visits are subject to the approval of the Prison staff.

Regular visitation:

• If a victim of the offender’s crime would like to visit the offender outside of the Victim Offender Dialogue (VOD) process (described below), a completed Visitor Application must be submitted by the victim.
• Please know that no one is under any obligation to visit an offender, nor should an offender pressure anyone into visiting.
• Visitation decisions are made at the discretion of the prison facility based on the need for safety and security of visitors, staff and offenders.
• Prison facilities’ staff must ensure the safety of the visitors, staff or offenders and visitation may not be allowed, allowed only through a controlled setting, or not allowed at all.  Visitation is a privilege, not a right, for the offender and visitor.
• Prison facilities can allow a victim to visit with the offender either through regular visitation or through a structured and arranged process.
• For victims who would like to request a special visit for a Victim Offender Dialogue, at this time, DAC does not have a VOD program.  If you are interested in participating in a VOD and would like your request to be considered for the future, you may contact VSSPPP to discuss this at 1-866-719-0108.

See more about our Visitation Policies and rules on our Visitation Information webpages here. 

Offenders in NCDAC prison facilities are not permitted to use the internet nor social media while they are in prison.  If you believe the offender has a social media account which they are operating or have someone operating on their behalf, contact VSSPPP for assistance at 866-719-0108.  

Offenders on probation are permitted to use the internet and social media. If a victim has concerns about the offender’s use of the internet, they may contact VSSPPP at 866-719-0108.

Offenders on death row are prohibited from contacting a victim or surviving family members according to NC General Statute 148-10.2.  If you have been contacted by a death row offender, please call VSSPPP for assistance at 1-866-719-0108.

If you are the victim or surviving family member of a victim and would like additional information about the execution process, including how witnesses to an execution are selected, click here or call VSSPPP at 866-719-0108.

The last North Carolina execution of a death sentence was in August 2016.  At this time, several legal issues are being decided before any more executions can be carried out.